For the first time in my conjoined lifetime of twenty-two years, I felt that the world was unfair. Subconsciously, my mind ordered my body to near their dead bodies. However, it felt as I was stuck in a pile of glue, weighted down by an invisible veil. This new body of mine was an empty carcass. My unyielding mind turned into a scrambled mess, like beaten eggs. My once solid posture buckled as both my knees became as turbulent as jelly, my stomach turned into a state of absolute chaos, and an unnaturally dry feeling sprouted in the deepest parts of my throat. I could feel the vomit rising throughout my body, but I ordered it to return. Worst of all was the empty feeling in my chest. Thus, I was rendered unable to complete the two-metre journey to their formerly lively corpses.

Unknown amounts of time passed as I stared at them with a lifeless glare, maybe minutes, maybe hours. I didn't know. The only thing I was aware of was the endless torrents of tears and snot flowing down my face. It was officially an ugly cry. Another thing that drew my attention was the infinite feeling of time passing at an encroachingly slow pace. Finally, after what I believe to be the most prolonged hours, minutes or seconds of my entire lifetime, I managed to move for the first time. Placing one foot before the other in a shaky motion, as if I was learning to walk for the first time, I arrived at where they were both lying. The empty sensation positioned near my heart -similar to an endless abyss-, intensified the closer I got to the both of them. However, even though it hurt, I endured. They deserved a proper burial, after all. As I got closer, I noticed the sheer surprise in my fathers' eyes. Thus, a feeling of immense sadness sprouted in my heart. He died without even knowing what was happening.

That feeling must've been terrifying, and I wasn't there for him. The most magnanimous contributor to the gigantic hole in my heart was that I wasn't strong enough to protect them. Scratch that even helping would be a stretch for the current me. It tore up my insides. With this in mind, I reached towards mothers still face. My hands moved at the pace of a snail, and they became so shaky that I was afraid they might separate from my body. I'd managed to calm myself down before, but I could already feel my breath becoming ragged, and my stomach returned to its previous state. The sensation I received was akin to being inside a rocky boat. However, my hands eventually arrived at their intended goal. Her lips were reaching upwards into a peaceful smile, and the dark brown eyes of hers that I used to compliment whenever I had a request were closed.

Seeing her face with such unconsidered acceptance of her fate caused me to realize my situation for the first time.

They were gone. Dead as dead could be. We'd never share monotonous but enjoyable magic lessons or spend time practicing the bow religiously ever again. Our afternoon snack breaks existed no longer, and I would never witness their comforting smiles as they had left this world. The first people that I know have truly loved me are gone. I'm all alone now. An even deeper feeling of emptiness filled me. It was like a black hole, sucking me up until I could never see the light again. At the instant I was about to drown in snot and tears, I heard a noise. It broke me out of my stupor and caused me to return to reality once more. My head cocked up as Hushed voices came from behind the front door. As silently as possible, I cleaned my face with the bottom of my shirt and approached the entrance to understand their words better.

"Those... asked for assistance to deal with two people?!... Pathetic." Spat a man in an oddly irritated tone. It seemed as if he were mocking the people in question. 'Are they associated with the ones that attacked my parents?' Itsuki questioned in his mind. That simple thought caused him to began forming a deeply conceited rage in his heart. It was like a sea, the rath festering in waves. However, he soon managed to calm down, enough to at least hear what they were discussing. "Well, stop standing so Idly... Let's go check on them" Another man, with a deeper tone this time, urged with authority. At this point, Itsuki was beginning to question what his next plan of action should be. Going on the basis that they were allies of the people that killed his parents, then he needed to escape as soon as possible. Itsuki hesitated for a few seconds but eventually reacted when the group of four's footsteps began getting louder.

They were going to enter soon, and with a made-up mind, Itsuki headed to his parent's corpses. He kneeled towards them, placing a hand on both their eyes and closing them. Staying in that same position for a second longer than intended, Itsuki ended up gifting a soft kiss onto their unwrinkled foreheads. His eyes changed for the first time since his reincarnation. The innocent gleam they once had morphed into a determined scowl. It seemed as if that expression was engraved onto his face, made to last forever. With a quick motion, the five-year-old rose to his full height and rushed towards the stairs. In wide arcs, he made his way down. As he arrived at the bottom, he executed a sharp turn towards his right. In front of him stood a wooden weapon. He'd used it every day for the past two years, his trusted, kid-sized bow.

The smooth texture of the unknown wood made contact with Itsuki's hand as he gripped it. Not wasting a second above what was needed, Itsuki rushed back upstairs. He passed the ground level and went towards his room. Itsuki fetched his backpack placed in the corner. Afterwards, he trotted down with haste once more. If he was to leave the safety of the home that he had known for the past five years and explore the unknown, then he needed to prepare as much as possible. As Itsuki arrived at the kitchen, he stocked up on a few fruits, smoked slices of meat and filled a water bottle to the brim. He also packed some bread and biscuits. With his small amount of body weight, this could last him a few days at most.

Not being one to gloss over the details, he also stuffed a few arrows in his backpack. Father had already taught him how to craft them. Nevertheless, the quality a newbie like him produced couldn't be as good as those created by an actual blacksmith. As everything was ready, the mentally twenty-two-year-old child reached for the backdoor. Both his hands latched onto the handle. However, Itsuki refrained from opening it. On the other side of the home, the front door was blasted open without warning. At this very moment, Itsuki opened the back door as quickly as possible and sneakily headed out. Since the beginning, this was his goal. The sound caused by him opening the door would be covered by the people entering.

In his mind, it was genius. However, he had no time to think further of it as he broke off into a blind sprint. It wouldn't take long for the four individuals in the home to realize that their teammates had been killed and assess what had transpired. At that instant, they would head back out, maybe even investigate further. Itsuki had no intention of being anywhere near them when that happened. Although he was utterly enraged and wished to avenge his parents, he wasn't idiotic nor selfish enough to ignore what they were ultimately trying to do. Both of them sacrificed their lives so that he could continue to live. No way in hell would he waste that sacrifice just because of revenge. That would be selfish. If he attacked them in his current stage, not only would he be brutally murdered because of the vast difference in strength and numbers, but he would have also wasted their sacrifice.

Thus, Itsuki swallowed his anger and resolved himself to make two promises. From now on, he would not die foolishly. The sacrifice his parents had made was too expensive for him to waste. Furthermore, he had to gain power. No matter if it was magical, political, or whatever else. Itsuki needed to gain enough strength so that he could protect his loved ones as well as himself in any situation. What just happened today would never transpire again, ever! He was so enraged as he ran that he forgot to look at the scenery. To his left, vast amounts of land filled with grass stretched for miles upon miles. To every side other than that one, it was covered from head to toe in trees, bushes and grass. Tiny fireflies crowded the air and trees. Florescent mushrooms dominated the forest floor, and the multitude of trees stretched high up into the sky.

The beauty of the forest caused me to stop for a brief moment, and the rage that had been growing in my heart slowed until it gradually receded. It was getting dark, and I had to find a place to sleep for the night.